It's in the Blood
by lunaerum
Summary: It all starts when, ten years ago, Tsuna acts as the substitute for a late actress in a wedding commercial. Love Stage! inspired AU. All27. Dedicated to strigineserpent over on tumblr!
1. The End of Normality

**Disclaimer** : Don't own anything but the fic idea/writing.

 **Summary** : It all starts when, ten years ago, Tsuna acts as the substitute for a late actress in a wedding commercial. Love Stage! inspired AU. All27. Dedicated to strigineserpent over on tumblr!

 **Warning(s)** : N/A.

 **Enticements** : Doting and attentive parents Iemitsu and Nana! Doting brother Giotto! Tsuna accidentally making everyone fall for him! Fluff!

 **Relationships:** Sawada Family  & Tsuna, Iemitsu/Nana, Giotto/G, Giotto/Alaude, Gokudera/Tsuna, Yamamoto/Tsuna, Reborn/Tsuna. Hibari/Tsuna, Xanxus/Tsuna, Mukuro/Tsuna, Enma/Tsuna, Byakuran/Tsuna, All/27.

Okay, so this is a Love Stage! _Inspired_ AU. It draws some inspiration from the manga/anime, but it doesn't totally follow it. Some notes about the AU (and changes from Love Stage!):

Tsuna is obsessed with an anime character named Satoshi from a fantasy anime. The details on what the anime is about are a bit sketchy (in other words, still figuring it out) but the obsession is important because it sparked an obsession with the voice actor behind the character. Feel free to guess who the voice actor is! He'll show up later. No mafia in this AU! Characters will still show up, I'm just still hammering out who's who and how they're famous/if they're famous, etc.

This fic is dedicated to strigineserpent over on tumblr! Most of this AU has been planned out with them so make sure to send Michelle an ask thanking them! I hope you like it, Michelle!

Unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine. I read it over a few times, but there may be typos. Let me know if you spot any, I would greatly appreciate it!

* * *

 **Chapter One** : _The End of Normality_

Be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed the fic!

* * *

Tsuna's day begins like any other.

The shrill screech of his alarm clock just _barely_ manages to wake him in time to make it to school on time and usually, such a thing would make him angry, upset, or frustrated – but last week Tsuna had the brilliant idea of placing his largest poster of Satoshi on his ceiling so the first thing he saw when he woke was not the white of his ceiling, but Satoshi's angelic, handsome face.

So despite the hellish noise of his alarm clock jolting him out of his dream, when he opens his eyes, he can't bring himself to be angry or annoyed, not even when he sees what time it is (five minutes before he has to leave, what a _pain_ ). Being angry or annoyed isn't possible when he opens his eyes and sees a beautifully rendered limited edition poster of Satoshi, wind whipping through long white hair and red eyes staring into the distance …

Ah! Satoshi was _so_ cool!

Tsuna wastes at least two more minutes staring at Satoshi's princely face before sighing and heaving himself out of bed. He shoves his glasses onto his face, grabbing a plain shirt and pants to wear from the floor, smelling them to ascertain if they were clean before shrugging and hauling them on anyway. Running out of time, he slips on his socks standing up and unthinkingly balances himself by placing his hand on the Satoshi poster nearest to his door.

When he realizes what he's done, Tsuna jumps back (and very nearly knocks over the shelves filled with Satoshi statues) and falls over himself to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles on the poster.

"Sorry, Satoshi-kun!" Tsuna apologizes fervently to the inanimate object. Unsurprisingly, Satoshi doesn't answer. This is probably because Satoshi is an anime character and Tsuna is talking to a poster.

And the poster, much like the one on his ceiling, is a limited edition, but unlike the one on the ceiling, in this poster Satoshi is smirking. Some casual fans of Satoshi could claim that this was a more accurate representation of the character as opposed to the more serene one on the ceiling, however, Tsuna was no casual fan. He hadn't dedicated much of his time during his later years of high school studying Satoshi to claim such a thing! Satoshi was a nuanced, complicated character who hid his true feelings behind bravado and standoffishness and while in many of his early episodes, may have _seemed_ smug, used that perception of himself to conceal himself in plain sight.

In reality, Satoshi was –

Oh.

Tsuna was going to be late.

With one last glance at the poster on his wall and a glance at his watch, which shows he only has a minute to leave for school (prompting a high-pitched shriek from Tsuna seeing how little time he has left) Tsuna races out of his room and down the stairs.

He's almost to the door – almost on time to school despite his late rising and contemplation of Satoshi's character – when his mother notices him.

"Oh~! There's my handsome son!" His mother is an actress who got her start in her early twenties and has continued acting ever since. She's elegant and beautiful, but sometimes it's hard to reconcile who she is on film when she's only ever been his mom. "Come give Mama a hug!"

Her exclamation draws his father and G.'s attention, both of whom were sitting at the dining table. His father, too, is an actor, though he spends more time as a talent scout for the all-around entertainment company Vongola based in Italy. G. was Giotto's manager first, though he'd become the family's after Giotto left home. And so, if giving his mom a goodbye hug was embarrassing when no one else was in the room, it was doubly so when in front of his father and G.

" _Mooom!_ " Tsuna whines, face red and growing redder as he glances between his parents, G., and the door. "I'm late! I h-have to go!"

His mother, often hailed as a poised and graceful beauty in magazines, only replies with a big exaggerated pout. Not ever liking to upset his mom (even if she was just _acting_ upset) Tsuna knows when she fakes some sniffles, that he's been defeated. With a sigh, he makes his way towards his mother, crouching when he reaches her so that he can give her a hug while she's still seated.

And because that isn't embarrassing enough, his mom kisses his forehead and coos when Tsuna squirms out of her hold to rub at his forehead, ears burning. "Mom! I'm twenty years old! I don't need a goodbye hug or kiss, I'm not five!"

And because his parents' only goal in life is to embarrass him, instead of calm acceptance of his adulthood, his father instead says, "Goodbye hug? I want one of those! Tsuna! Come give me a goodbye hug!"

Tsuna swears that he can see G. laughing at him out of the corner of his eyes, but when he turns to look at the man, he's suspiciously straight-faced. Tsuna glares at him for good measure and scowls at his father. "No more goodbye hugs! I'm an adult now, I'm in college!"

"Mama got a goodbye hug!" His father protests loudly, because he's physically incapable of talking with an inside voice. "What about Papa? Come give Papa a hug!"

" … no." Tsuna says blandly, with a straight face, half because it would be _embarrassing_ and half because his dad always has the funniest reactions.

It takes his father a moment to process what Tsuna has said, obviously expecting another answer, but when he does, his face falls and he clutches his chest dramatically. "Favoritism!" He accuses, eyes shut at the (perceived) betrayal. "Nana, my dear, I won't be able to go on! Our son doesn't love me anymore!"

Unable to keep a straight face, his mom begins giggling and Tsuna can't help but to snicker as well, walking around to where his father is seated to give him a quick hug. All dramatic pretense forgotten, his father hugs him back and gives him an embarrassingly loud smooch to the cheek. When Tsuna pulls back to rub at his cheek, his dad very quietly says, "I love you, son." Then, louder, so everyone at the table and possible the world can hear him, "I LOVE MY SON!"

Rather than responding and saying it back, Tsuna wriggles out of his father's hold and says, "I'm going to be late!"

"Shh, shh!" His mother shushes him, turning up the television mounted to the wall.

A little bit offended, Tsuna turns towards the TV to see exactly what had captured his mother's attention just in time to see famous actor Gokudera Hayato finish promoting an electric car.

"Compact and energy-efficient –" Here, the screen cuts to a side-by-side comparison of said electric car to other brands before going back to Gokudera lounging in the car. "There's no better, or cleaner way to travel and w –"

Before the commercial can finish, his mother mutes the TV and turns towards his father and G. "I want to work with him!"

G. immediately snaps to attention at that, whipping out a notebook and writing something on a blank page faster than Tsuna has ever seen anyone write in his entire life. "I will try my best to ensure that it happens, Sawada-san."

It's then that Tsuna realizes that he supposed to be on his way to school. "I'm going to be so late …" Then he slumps, already resigned to the scolding he's going to receive once he gets to class.

"Oh, I think it'll be fine!" His mother tries to reassure him. "I don't think anyone could get mad at that face!"

Tsuna doesn't even have a reply to that – not sure if he wants to try to explain to his mother that unlike his mother (who is beautiful, as well as famous and therefore can do whatever she wants), Tsuna is plain and not isn't nearly charming enough to get out of trouble.

"Someone get mad at my son? Impossible! He's too cute!" By the time he's finished talking, Iemitsu is standing for some strange reason and nearly shouting, pride apparent in his voice.

Thankfully, G. cuts his parent's flattery short, pushing his chair back to stand as well. "I will drive you to school, Tsuna." It's such a sensible and kind offer – or well, it _would_ be if the family car wasn't so ostentatious and attention-grabbing, something Tsuna was trying to avoid. "If we leave now, you won't be late at all."

With one last witful look at the door and cursing himself for bringing this situation upon himself, Tsuna agrees to go with G. "Okay, thank you. But you can't drop me off in front of the school, okay?"

This time, Tsuna _knows_ G. is laughing at him because he can _see_ it. His parents giggle too and he scowls at all three of them, though it's without any real anger.

"Okay," G. agrees after a moment, expression very fond. "I can do that."

* * *

G. is a lifesaver.

Thanks to his family's manager taking him to school, he was two minutes _early_ to class, though it didn't really help much. His homework was only half done and he was behind in his readings, so the lecture didn't really make much sense. Still, Tsuna did his best to take notes and he even managed to get an extension on his homework!

He had two more classes after his first one, but he doesn't remember much from those either. Of course, the professors must have lectured, but Tsuna was too preoccupied with thoughts of literally anything else. School quite simply couldn't compare to thoughts of Satoshi or wondering when Giotto was going to come home or if he could manage to clean his room before his mom noticed how dirty it was and cleaned it for him, snooping around while she did so.

Before he realizes it, school is out for the day and it's time for club activities. With a sigh, Tsuna realizes that he's squandered yet another day of school with his inattentiveness and he shoves his notebook filled with Satoshi doodles into his bag. Although one of the last people to exit the classroom, no one notices as he does so, though he doesn't expect them to. Tsuna has, with the help of anime and manga, crafted the perfect disguise so that he's plain enough that no one will notice him. With glasses (that he didn't actually need), mousy brown hair, and simple clothes, he was as good as invisible at school.

Which is exactly what he wanted.

The walk to the room where the anime club was hosted was a short one, picked specifically because it was the central location for all of the club members and their last class. Tsuna gets to the door within five or so minutes at a leisurely stroll, so used to the walk he barely looks up from the white floors beneath his feet.

When he gets to the room door, Tsuna doesn't even bother to knock and simply opens it and steps inside, stopping short when he realizes someone else is inside the room.

"Oh! Enma-kun … I didn't realize you'd be here. I thought you had another class?" As Tsuna sets his bag on the ground and kneels to take a seat, his friend glances up at him, tense for the second and a half it takes for him to recognize it's Tsuna standing in front of him.

"Tsuna-san." Enma was one of the first friends he made in high school, bonding over the fact that bullies loved to pick on them, their shared love of anime and manga, and the fact that their families were famous. While Enma's parents weren't actors, they _were_ in the entertainment business, though Tsuna didn't know exactly how. Enma was never really forthcoming with details.

When Tsuna had picked what university to attend, the redhead had followed him and together, they'd founded the anime club at school. Though they were very similar in many ways, Enma had become so much more cool after high school. Gone, was the teenager who wore bandages on his face to hide the bruises from bullies. In his place, was a taller, more confident and intense adult. He towered over Tsuna now! It wasn't fair, especially since Tsuna was as short as he was in high school.

"Spanner and Irie-san had to go to the studio," Enma's words jerk him out of his thoughts and Tsuna drags his gaze back to Enma where the other boy is staring at Tsuna. "I didn't want you to be alone while my class was finishing. I'll be fine," he says before Tsuna can protest Enma skipping on _his_ behalf. "I already did the work that was going to be turned in today."

And he shrugs, like he hasn't gotten so much cooler since high school – doing his homework ahead of time and skipping class … where had his old best friend gone? Now Tsuna was the only one who was totally uncool.

Which was so unfair!

" … If you say so," Tsuna mutters, staring down at his lap. Then, he glances up and is surprised to find Enma _still_ staring at him. Didn't he have to blink? "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Enma says with a very small smile which makes his eyes sort of sparkle. It's very handsome. "I'm sure."

"Okay." There's silence for a moment before Tsuna remembers what he'd found out last night and had been super excited to share during anime club hours. "Oh! Did you hear about the new Satoshi dakimakura? I want it so bad, but there are only three that are being made and even though I've already entered the contest where they're giving them away, I don't think I'm going to get one. But … Enma-kun … I want it _so_ bad …"

* * *

Like a good friend, Enma listens to Tsuna ramble about the new Satoshi merchandise for all of two hours until it starts to get dark out and Tsuna realizes how late it's gotten. Enma offers to walk Tsuna home, but he knows that Enma's apartment is in the opposite direction and he wouldn't want to inconvenience his friend like that, so he declines that invitation and goes home alone.

The walk isn't a long one, but it _feels_ that way, especially when he spends the entire way home thinking about school. He makes list after list of the things he's got to do when he gets home, beginning with cleaning his room and ending with homework, though Tsuna knows himself and he's more likely to go through and reorganize his Satoshi merchandise – and his other merchandise. Though Satoshi was by far his favorite character that Avere Cads voiced, he did have other merchandise for his other characters, though less of it. The man's voice was simply a _gift._

(And if one of the biggest reasons why he needed to clean his room before his mother did so for him was that in his obssession with Satoshi and the man who voiced him, he'd collected every single thing that Avere Cads had a part in, even if it was R18, then that was no one's business but his own.)

By the time Tsuna gets home, he's forgotten all about his resolve to do homework and instead promises himself that he'll clean his room up just enough so that his mother won't intervene, however all thoughts of his messy room and illicit goods flee from his mind when as soon as he enters his house, the conversation that his parents and G. were having stops abruptly and no one greets him.

Immediately, Tsuna thinks the worst. His bag falls from his shoulder to the ground without care and he slips his shoes off of his feet, each potential situation worse than the last.

" … Has something happened to Giotto?"

At Tsuna's question, Nana rushes forward to envelope him in a motherly embrace. "Oh, Tsu-kun, no … your brother is fine! It's – well. G.?" She turns towards the man for help and by proxy, takes Tsuna with her, as she hasn't let him go yet.

At the sound of his name, G. sighs quietly but dutifully steps forward to explain. "Earlier today Sawada-san expressed an interest in working with Gokudera Hayato and while his manager and I were attempting to we learned that the company behind the Happy Wedding commercial ten years ago would like to do another one. However, Gokudera-san has issued an ultimatum – that the main cast of the commercial must return or he won't take part in the commercial."

" … Happy Wedding?" Tsuna murmurs, blinking, not even registering that his mother _still_ hasn't let him go, too busy focusing. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

And it takes him a moment, but he eventually gets it.

"Happy … Wedding?" Tsuna glances between his mother, G., and his father who all look somewhat guilty. "You can't mean that – "

"Yes," G. continues for him. "The Happy Wedding commercial that you starred in ten years ago is looking to do a sequel commercial … and is hoping to cast _you_ as the bride."

This –

This _can't_ be happening.

Forget what Tsuna said earlier about G. being a lifesaver, he was nothing of the sort! No –

G. was a _demon!_

* * *

Next chapter will be more about the commercial, more about Tsuna's room, and will have Giotto's first bribe to Tsuna.

* * *

R&R please! I would love to know what you think of this AU.

My tumblr and twitter are lunaerum, give me a follow if you'd like!


	2. Blackmail

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything but the fic idea/writing.

 **Summary:** It all starts when, ten years ago, Tsuna acts as the substitute for a late actress in a wedding commercial. Love Stage! inspired AU. All27. Dedicated to strigineserpent over on tumblr!

 **Warning(s):** N/A.

 **Enticements:** Doting and attentive parents Iemitsu and Nana! Doting brother Giotto! Tsuna accidentally making everyone fall for him! Fluff!

 **Relationships:** Sawada Family  & Tsuna, Iemitsu/Nana, Giotto/G, Giotto/Alaude, Gokudera/Tsuna, Yamamoto/Tsuna, Reborn/Tsuna. Hibari/Tsuna, Xanxus/Tsuna, Mukuro/Tsuna, Enma/Tsuna, Byakuran/Tsuna, All/27.

Feel free to continue guessing who the voice actor for Satoshi is! Also, send with your reviews what Tsuna pairing you're most interested in, or what pairing you want to see in the fic if it's not listed above.

This fic is dedicated to strigineserpent over on tumblr! Congrats on your job offer! I hope this is acceptable.

Unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine. I read it over a few times, but there may be typos. Let me know if you spot any, I would greatly appreciate it!

I just wanted to get this chapter done before doing school things so please forgive me for the shortness and any errors if there are any!

* * *

 **Chapter Two:** _Blackmail_

Be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed the fic!

* * *

For a moment, there is silence and Tsuna almost imagines that G's words echo in the space between them. He steps away from his mother and tries to process exactly what those words would mean for him and his, thus far uninteresting, life.

As he does so, he unwillingly flashes back to the disaster of a commercial his family is asking him to do a sequel of.

It goes quickly. Tsuna doesn't remember everything from That Day and much of the memory has been lost … but Tsuna remembers the worst of the commercial and that's all Tsuna needs to know to immediately turn down acting out another one.

From being mistaken for a girl, to his stage fright, to his incessant stutter as he tried to tell anyone who would listen that he didn't _want_ to be in the commercial – all of it is terrible and all of it causes white–hot embarrassment to needle at him like a thousand tiny swords.

Like Satoshi's folding knife that he used in the fourth episode of the seventh season of _Edleron's Last Hope_. The one he used against the dark elves after they had taken him hostage and thought he hadn't had a weapon. It was Satoshi's ninth best fight scene, but fifth best in character development because it showed how desperate Satoshi was to return to his childhood friend, Akira, and save the princess of Edleron, Raina.

More than that, it was a prime example of what sort of character Satoshi was. He may have been smug and distant from his friends in the beginning of the series, but the scene wherein Satoshi fought off the dark elves defined him as a character who knew loss and wanted to protect others from it –

"Tsuna …?" G.'s voice is hushed, but enough to snap Tsuna out of his Satoshi–induced daze. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Tsuna shakes his head to rid himself of the last vestiges of any thought regarding Satoshi and finally noticing how worried G. and his parents look. "What? Yes. I'm fine."

There's another pause here and Tsuna grimaced, wondering how he could say no to starring in the commercial without sounding ungrateful or rude.

"Um … " He says, glancing away from his family to look down at his hands. "I–I am going to have to reject this job offer." He ducks his head and tries not to think about how much his mother wanted to complete a job with Gokudera Hayato and how this may be her only chance. Surely, they could just find a beautiful girl to act as the bride? They didn't need _Tsuna_ , who wasn't even an actor.

Still.

He can't help but to feel guilty.

"Sorry." He murmurs, still not looking at his mother or his father or G. "I have homework to complete." He offers this as an excuse and darts back to the entrance to retrieve his bag and head upstairs before anyone can protest.

No one does.

Somehow, that's even worse.

* * *

Tsuna spends the next few days walking on eggshells.

Neither his parents nor G. treat him any differently, but Tsuna feels that he's disappointed them severely. It affects his mood even at school and Enma tries to question him multiple times about why he's been so melancholy, to no avail. Together, he, Spaner, and Irie try to cheer him up, but nothing works.

Not even news of new Satoshi merchandise.

(Alright, so that's a lie. It cheered him up a little bit.)

Tsuna even considers rescinding his rejection and acting in the commercial – but there would be so much that would be so incredibly embarrassing about acting in a reunion commercial where he had first played a little girl.

Tsuna didn't want to disappoint his parents, but the last thing he wanted to do was be reminded of the same embarrassing mistakes he had ten years ago or even repeat them.

Stuck between two difficult choices, Tsuna resolves himself to a miserable mood, at least until a new actress is cast for the commercial

Or at least, that's what Tsuna was planning on doing – until Giotto called.

* * *

"Tsunaaaaa~! How is my cute little brother doing?"

"Please don't call me that. I'm an adult. Adults aren't cute."

"You think you're not cute just because you're an adult now? How adorable!"

"Giotto–nii…"

"Fine, fine. I have to get back to rehearsal anyway. I heard that you turned down the Happy Wedding commercial, huh?"

"I – yes. I didn't want to be cast as the bride. I'm past the age where I would pass as a cute girl."

"Tsuna…"

"I am! I mean. I know that clothes don't define a person, but I don't want to be an ugly bride! Besides, the last Happy Wedding commercial was a disaster…"

"Hmm. You know Mom really wanted to act in a project with Gokudera Hayato."

"I … I know. But once they cast a new actress, it'll be fine!"

"Tsuna, they want the original cast of the last Happy Wedding commercial. They're not going to move forward with the project until they they've faithfully cast every character."

"W–who would know the difference, though?"

"Gokudera Hayato, apparently. He said that if they try to falsely cast the bride for the commercial, he'll somehow be able to tell."

"Well. I'm – I'm not going to do it. I don't want to be an actor. I don't want to be in this commercial."

"Ah. It's so nice to hear my cute little brother so firm in his choices. What should I do with this Satoshi dakimakura then –"

"What."

"I was able to get one of the limited edition dakimakuras, signed by – who is Satoshi's voice actor again?"

" _What."_

"I was going to give you the dakimakura as a congratulatory gift once you finished with the Happy Wedding commercial, but since you've rejected the job, I'm not sure what I should do with it …"

"..."

"It seems like a waste to throw it away, wouldn't you say?"

"Don't throw it away! Just – just wait. You really have the limited edition Satoshi dakimakura?"

"Mm. Just sent you a picture."

"Wait a second. I want to check."

"Go right ahead."

"..."

"..."

"Oh goodness. Satoshi is so handsome … He's so – _I want that dakimakura_."

"It's really such a shame that you're not doing that Happy Wedding commercial. This gift is basically useless now …"

"I see what you're doing."

"What am I doing?"

"I _know_ that you're manipulating me."

"Me? Manipulate my cute little brother?"

"But I don't care. I want that Satoshi dakimakura. I would do _anything_ to get it."

"So are you accepting the Happy Wedding job or no?"

"Yes. Fine. I will be the bride in the Happy Wedding commercial. When are you shipping my dakimakura?"

"I sent it today. You should get it in a couple of days."

"Wait – wha –"

 _Call ended:_ 7:06:02.

* * *

The moment Tsuna says that he'll accept the role of the bride in the Happy Wedding commercial, everything happens very fast.

From all of the legalities like signing contracts and what not – and keeping the secret from his friends (because said contract outlined very explicitly that the commercial was to be kept a secret until it aired) – to wardrobe fittings and rehearsals, Tsuna has not a moment of peace for the three weeks after saying yes to the commercial.

He wishes, not for the first time, that they could just get it over with, but Gokudera Hayato had to finish filming a movie before he could spare time for the commercial.

The tenth of March, Gokudera's manager had told the director. That was the first date that the actor would be available to shoot the commercial.

When Tsuna had first gotten word of when they would begin actually shooting the advertisement, it had seemed so far away. He ignored all of his initial reasons for saying no and truthfully, didn't take time to actually process what accepting the Happy Wedding job would entail.

So it hits Tsuna very hard when, on the tenth of March, he enters his dressing room and the first thing he sees is an entire rack of wedding gowns.

* * *

Okay so _next_ chapter will (maybe) have more about Tsuna's room, but we will definitely meet Gokudera and possibly finish the commercial …

* * *

R&R please! I would love to know what you think of this AU.

My tumblr and twitter are lunaerum, give me a follow if you'd like!


End file.
